The administration of Donald Trump spent more than $40 million to deport roughly 300 migrants to countries with which they had no prior connection, according to a report released Friday by Democrats on the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The report outlines the financial and policy implications of a controversial deportation strategy that relocates non-citizens to third countries when their home governments decline to accept them.
According to the committee’s findings, the deportations cost an average of $133,333 per migrant.
In one case, Rwanda, which received seven deportees, reportedly cost about $1.1 million per person.
The policy involved transferring migrants to distant countries when repatriation to their nations of origin proved difficult. Destinations cited in the report include Palau and Eswatini, which were reportedly selected to demonstrate that migrants could be relocated far from their home regions.
About $32 million of the total spending went to five countries:
- Equatorial Guinea
- Rwanda
- El Salvador
- Palau
- Eswatini
The report alleges that payments were made directly to foreign governments without third-party oversight and that the United States Department of State does not employ external auditors to track how the funds are spent.
Equatorial Guinea alone reportedly received $7.5 million, more than the total U.S. foreign assistance provided to the country over the previous eight years combined.
The practice of deporting migrants to third countries gained traction after Trump returned to office in 2025 and intensified immigration enforcement efforts.
Administration officials argued that some migrants could not be returned home because their governments refused repatriation, lacked diplomatic cooperation, or posed legal or security obstacles. Under U.S. immigration law, deportation to a third country is permitted when returning someone to their country of origin is deemed impracticable or unsafe.
In early 2025, the United States Department of Homeland Security began reviewing cases of migrants who could not be removed to their home countries, seeking agreements with nations willing to receive them.
The policy accelerated following a June 2025 ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States, which allowed expedited deportations to third countries with limited notice.
The report detailed instances where migrants were transported thousands of miles from their countries of origin:
- A Mexican national was flown more than 8,000 miles to South Sudan at an estimated cost of $91,000 per person, including temporary housing at a U.S. military base in Djibouti. He was later returned to Mexico.
- A Jamaican national was deported to Eswatini at an estimated cost exceeding $181,000, despite already having a deportation order to Jamaica. He was eventually flown back home, with Jamaican authorities stating they had not refused his return.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment.
Last month, DHS announced plans to deport at least 79 Nigerians listed on its “worst-of-the-worst” criminal register as part of renewed enforcement efforts targeting foreign nationals with serious convictions.
Separately, the United States Department of State revoked more than 100,000 foreign visas in 2025, more than double the number revoked in 2024, reflecting tighter scrutiny of immigration compliance.
The report is likely to intensify debate over the cost, legality, and humanitarian implications of third-country deportations as immigration enforcement remains a defining issue of the Trump administration’s second term.
